Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 16:02:51 EST
From: William Watts
Subject: The Castaway Hotel Chapter 7
Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts.
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.
Don't read this story if:
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* * * * * * * *
The Castaway Hotel - by BW (Young-Friends). Copyright 2000
by bwstories44
Chapter 7 - Growing closer as a family.
February 2000
The next day, Danny was true to his word. After school, the boys changed
their clothes and Danny began working with Ricky on his baseball skills.
They went out in the driveway to play catch. I watched, unobserved, from
the window to see how it was going. Danny was very patient with his
brother, teaching him how to step when he threw and how he should hold his
arm through the entire throwing motion. He didn't even lose his temper
when one of Ricky's throws went wild and he had to chase the ball. He,
also, taught Ricky about 'soft hands' when catching or fielding the ball,
'Soft hands' describes the process of letting your glove move slightly back
toward your body, a recoil motion, as the ball enters the glove. It helps
keep it from popping back out after it hits the leather. Over time,
Ricky's throws got harder and more accurate and he was catching nearly
everything that Danny threw to him. By dinnertime, Ricky was doing much
better and I was very impressed and proud of both of them.
"That was fun," Ricky was saying as they came inside. "Thanks, big
brother, you're a great teacher."
"No, it's just that you learn quickly. Heck, you'll be looking like a pro
by summer."
"You think so?"
"Well, maybe not a pro but you'll be as good or better than everyone else.
There will be no reason for you not to play. When do you turn thirteen?"
"July 17th. Why?"
"I think because your birthday is before August 1st, you will have to play
the whole season as a thirteen year old. If that's the case, we'll be
playing in the same league. If they do the same as they did where I used
to live, that means we'll be playing on the same team."
"Yessssssssss. I'd like that. Dad, do you know if they do that here?"
I walked into the other room. "If they do what here?"
"If brothers get to play on the same teams."
"Well, yes. At least they did when my boys were playing. There's only one
small problem. Legally you're not brothers. When the time comes, however,
I will explain the situation to the league officials and request that you
be allowed to play on the same team, if that's what you both want?"
"Yes," they screamed. "Thanks, dad, we knew we could count on you," Ricky
added.
They practiced every day, after school, and for several hours on the
weekend. I watched as Danny taught him how to field grounders and pop ups.
He really did know a great deal about baseball and he was a very good
coach. Ricky improved rapidly on his fielding. On the weekends, the boys
would ask me to go with them to the school field so Ricky could practice
his hitting. I would pitch and Danny would run all over to field the
balls. After a while, Ricky insisted that Danny take his turn and he went
and chased the balls his brother hit. They were becoming closer and closer
every day. The weekend before his party, Danny asked me a question after
we got back home.
"Dad, after we have the cake and ice cream at my party, do you think you
could bring us down here so we could play a pick-up game with my friends?
That way Ricky could get some practice in a real game."
"That would be fine. Just let your friends know that they should dress
accordingly and bring their gloves and whatever else they feel they would
need."
"Thanks, dad. I'll e-mail them all tonight. Don't tell Ricky, though. I
want this to be a surprise."
"My lips are sealed. Go and get cleaned up for dinner and tell your
brother to do the same."
I was really proud of Danny. Even though it was his party, he was still
thinking about his younger brother. That takes a special kid. It's too
bad his father didn't realize how terrific he was. I won't complain,
however, as Ricky and I are benefiting from his being here.
The morning of the party, the three of out got into the van I had borrowed
from a friend. Ricky let Danny have the front seat because it was his
birthday. I told him that was very thoughtful and generous of him and he
flashed me his 'it's no big deal' face and got in the back. We left at
11:30 so we would have time to drive the 30 miles on twisting, country
roads. When we picked up the other boys, Ricky looked confused at how they
were dressed. He was polite enough not to say anything, though, until we
got back home. He took me aside and asked me. I told him that he would
have to ask Danny. He went out and asked Danny if he could see him for a
minute. He must have asked his question and received his reply because I
heard him yell out, "All right."
He came rushing back to tell me what he had discovered. "Dad, he told them
to dress that way so we could go to the field and play ball later. He said
he wanted me to have the opportunity to practice in a real game. He said
this was the only time he could think of when we would have enough guys to
play a game with at least 5 or 6 man teams."
"I knew that already. I just wanted Danny to be the one to tell you
because it was his idea. He was thinking about you when he made that
decision. I thought his choice was pretty special so I wanted him to have
the honor of letting you know about it."
"Yeah, I'm glad he's my brother. Should I change now?"
"You can, if you want to, although you'll probably have time to do that
later."
"I want to be ready. I'll be back in a minute." He raced upstairs at
breakneck speed.
Brandon was at the party, as well. He had been waiting for us at the house
when we arrived back with the other boys. Deep in my heart, I was proud of
Danny that he found the courage to invite him, despite of what it might
mean for him. Brandon was a good kid and he did well in school. He was,
also, a good- looking boy. He was the same height as Danny, roughly 5'4".
He had light blond hair, pale brown eyes and a very fair complexion. He
was slender, but not skinny, and he had long legs, compared to his trunk,
that made him appear to be taller than he actually was. If it hadn't have
been for that damned rumor, I would have expected him to be a fairly
popular kid.
The party went really well and everyone seemed to get along nicely. When
the kids had finished their cake and ice cream, I told Danny he should open
his presents before they went to play ball. He got some nice things from
his friends but a huge smile came over his face when he opened Ricky's gift
- a new baseball glove. He gave his little brother a big hug. "I can't
use this until I break it in but I really like it and I can't wait to use
it. Thanks, bro." Ricky blushed in front of the other boys.
Sally gave Danny two pair of shorts and pullover shirts to go with them. I
saved my presents for last. I gave him a soccer ball, a lacrosse stick and
ball and a small goal he could use for both. Then he opened the last box
that contained a new pair of cleats he could use for all three sports. He
came over, gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and thanked me for his
presents and for the party. I took Ricky out of the room and handed him a
box wrapped in birthday paper, as well. "Consider this an early birthday
present."
He ripped off the paper and opened the box to discover a pair of cleats,
just like the pair I had given to Danny. "Thanks, dad. Can I wear these
today?"
"Of course. That's why I gave them to you early." He kissed me on the
cheek and started to put them on. When everyone was ready, I took them
down to the field and they had a good game of six on six, with me catching
for both teams. Sally came down to keep score and cheer both teams on.
Both boys did very well and Danny's friends congratulated Ricky on how well
he played. I think Danny had e-mailed them the story about how he had been
working with Ricky. After the game, I loaded everyone back into the van
and I took all of them home. I delivered each one to his doorstep, met his
parent or parents and told them that they were all welcomed to visit any
time. I, also, told them that I thought Danny had selected his friends
very wisely and that I had enjoyed their visit immensely. One of the boys
asked if they could have a sleepover sometime, seeing we lived in such a
big house. I told him that that was an excellent idea and a sleepover
would be fine. I told him that we'd set up a date, in the future, and
notify them all when it would it take place. They really were a nice group
of boys.
After the party, the rest of the school year passed by quickly. Both boys
did quite well in their schoolwork. Ricky's grades and behavior had
continued to improve since he had moved in with me and Danny was a very
good student all along. The second week of May, they signed up for the
13-15 year old baseball league and we managed to get them on the same team.
It turned out that Danny was the shortstop and Ricky played second base.
The ironic thing was that Brandon ended up on the same team as well. They
all seemed to get along really well on the team but I could tell that Ricky
was bothered by Danny's friendship with him and the fact that Danny would
frequently invite Brandon to the house. One day I decided to confront him
about it.
"Ricky, I know that you get along with Brandon when you play baseball but I
get the feeling that you don't like him coming to the house. Would you
mind telling me what that's all about?"
Ricky hesitated before he answered. "You know, it's what they say about
him in school."
"What is it that they say?" I played dumb.
"You know, that he's.well everyone says.that he's gay."
"Has he ever done anything to you or have you seen him do anything with
anyone else?"
"No but everyone says he is."
"Everyone said you were a bad kid before you came to live here but I never
believed any of that gossip. Do you know if anyone has any proof that
Brandon's gay?"
Ricky looked slightly embarrassed by my last statement. "No. I guess
maybe I shouldn't judge him until I'm sure, huh?"
"Well, that would be a good way to look at it. Danny doesn't seem to have
any problems with him."
"Yeah, your probably right, dad. I'll try to act better to him. I didn't
know that I was that obvious."
"Yes, you are, but only at home. Why don't you go find the boys and see
what they're up to." Ricky did and he found them in the family room
playing table tennis. The three of them played together, rotating in and
out, letting the third person play the winner. They seemed to have a good
time at that and they seemed to get along better after that day.
They boys had several baseball games during May and then many more during
the month of June and the league finals and playoffs were held during the
first half of July. The first weekend in June, we had a sleepover for
Danny's old friends. Danny also invited Brandon. I picked them up on
Saturday, early in the afternoon, and I took them home late afternoon on
Sunday. The boys had a riot. They played ball until dinner. I ordered two
sheet pizzas, and I bought some chips, soda and vegetables and dressings
for a green salad that I threw together. They devoured everything in sight
and, then, went outside to play hide-and-go- seek after dark. When they
came in for the evening, I had them all take a shower (it went quickly with
three bathrooms) and they followed that with watching a video we had
rented, a horror film that wasn't overly violent. When the movie had
ended, I told them one of my patented ghost stories before they settled in
(I was notorious for my spooky tales with my children, at school campouts
and at the camp I used to work at). When I had finished my little tale,
the boys decided that they all wanted to sleep together on the floor in the
living room, ignoring all of the beds that I had upstairs. Danny, Ricky
and I dragged down all of the blankets and pillows we could find and the
boys settled in for the evening. Being the scorcher and prankster that I
was, I went outside and peeked into the large living room window, with a
flashlight under my chin. I made the worst face I could think of, turned
on the flashlight and made some loud moaning sounds outside the window, to
make sure I got their attention at about the same time. I heard some
screams and saw some of the boys run into the other room. When they
realized that I was the one outside and not a monster, they all started
laughing and ran out the door after me. I think they all enjoyed that
little diversion.
Their baseball team did well and had a chance to finish in first. They
fell a game short but it didn't seem to bother any of them all that much.
They all had fun and that was what seemed to matter the most. During the
season, before Ricky's birthday came around, he asked me a very serious
question.
"Dad, I'm having a problem deciding about whom I should ask to my birthday
party. I want to invite all the guys on my baseball team and I want to
invite all of Danny's friends from Springville. What do you think I should
do?"
"Well, that is a large number of people. Why don't you go get Danny and
we'll discuss this as a family." Ricky went and found his brother and we
were soon seated together. I explained the situation to Danny and then
asked him his opinion.
"Danny, the reason I wanted you to be a part of this decision is because I
didn't want you to feel cheated or feel that Ricky was getting more if I
let him invite all those people to his party."
"You don't have to feel that way, dad. Actually, I'm happy that Ricky
likes my old friends well enough that he wants to include them. As far as
I'm concerned, he can invite as many people as he wants to. We'll all have
a good time together no matter how many are here."
"Ricky, it looks like the guest list is up to you."
"Thanks, Danny. That was nice of you. You know, we'll have enough people
to play touch football on the side yard. Would that be OK?"
"Of course," I responded. "Just let everyone know about your plans so they
don't wear good clothes to the party. I wouldn't want any of their mothers
to get upset if they came home dirty, grass stained or if their clothes got
ripped."
"Sure, dad, I'll tell them."
"We could even make this a sleepover if you were interested," I added,
confident that I knew the answer before I suggested it.
"What do you think, Danny?" Danny shook his head to indicate that he
agreed with my proposal. "Yeah, dad" Ricky answered me, "we'd like that,
thanks."
"Your birthday is on a Friday so why don't we plan the party for Saturday,
the 18th." I advised him. "We'll take the boys home Sunday, before
dinnertime."
"That sounds great."
"Ricky, do you want me to help you e-mail my friends?" Danny offered.
"Yeah, I was going to ask you if you would. Thanks." The boys went off to
do their thing and soon the invitations were sent to the boys from
Springville. Ricky invited his baseball team over the telephone, as we had
a list of their names and phone numbers handy. Everyone accepted, except
for one boy who would be out of town on vacation.
I had purchased a custom van before the party, seeing we seemed to need one
quite frequently. I, also, had some other plans in mind in which a van
would come in handy. The morning of the party, we picked the boys up from
Springville and headed back to pick up the others. The van was more than
crowed. After we arrived they played football, first, and, then, we had a
cook out with hamburgers, hotdogs, macaroni and potato salad and soda. It
went over well and the boys had a great time. Sally was invited to the
party, as well, and joined the rest of us in time for the meal. I had
planned out the day in my mind, in advance, and I had given her a general
idea about when she should arrive. After dinner, we had the cake and ice
cream and Ricky opened his gifts. Danny had given him a new football,
before they went out to play earlier, and Ricky looked relieved that they
would haven't to use the battered old thing that he and Danny had been
tossing around outside. Sally gave him an identical gift to the one she
had given Danny, two pairs of shorts and two shirts. His friends gave him
a variety of gifts that he seemed to appreciate. I gave him a lacrosse
stick and ball, so he could practice with Danny, a basketball and a fold-up
portable basketball hoop for the driveway. That way, we could take it down
and put it away in bad weather. Seeing both boys planned on playing
basketball and lacrosse, this would give them the opportunity to continue
practicing their sporting activities with each other.
The party ended late, so I sent the boys to shower before they turned in.
It took twice as long as it had at the sleepover, seeing there were twice
as many boys, and it was a little more crowded in the living room. I had
suggested that the boys who owned a sleeping bag should bring it with them
and we provided blankets for the others. I had purchased sleeping bags for
Danny and Ricky and had given them to them on Friday. Once the boys
settled down, I told another of my ghost stories before they went to sleep.
Danny, Ricky and the boys from Springville watched the others after the
story ended, in anticipation of my appearance at the living room's picture
window. I didn't disappoint them. They howled as the other boys screamed
and raced around the room and we all had a good laugh when I came back in
to join them.
Sunday evening, after we had taken the others home, I told the boys about
my next surprise. "Danny and Ricky, I have something that I'd like to tell
you." They both came closer. "How would you two like to go on a vacation
with me and spend the last week of July and the first two weeks of August
touring through Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C?"
They jumped up and started running around the room yelling things like
'yes', 'cool' and 'way to go, dad'. I guess I had my answer. "We'll take
the van and you can each invite one friend. When you decide whom you are
going to invite, I'll speak with his parents. How does that sound to you?"
They, both, jumped around some more, hugged me and gave me a big kiss. I
told them that they had to decide fairly quickly, as I should talk to the
other parents as soon as possible. Now, we all started to make plans for
our trip.
* * * * * * * *
If you enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at
members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section. E-mails may
be sent to: bwstories44@hotmail.com.